The weekend read: Turkish policy turns to the rooftop
Turkey’s stuttering economy, shifting PV policy landscape, and the fruitless YEKA tenders have undermined the country’s solar progress, even though it was considered Europe’s most promising market as recently as two years ago. But its rooftops could still bloom if new regulations that will be issued in May manage to make solar attractive to both businesses and households alike.
Greek wraps up PV tender with record-breaking €0.04911/kWh tariff
Greece held its last round of renewable energy tenders in Athens on Thursday, resulting in the lowest tariff ever awarded to a renewable energy project in the country.
Tesvolt starts commercial storage system production at gigafactory despite Covid-19
The German manufacturer has started to produce its first commercial storage systems at its new plant under strict safety precautions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The facility’s current annual capacity is set at 255 MWh, but the company aims to eventually expand that to 1 GWh.
Australian rooftop solar surged to record highs before lockdown
Research by Green Energy Markets shows that the Australian rooftop PV market remained healthy throughout the first three months of 2020. According to STC data, more than 30,000 rooftop installations were registered in the month, for a total of close to 250 MW of capacity. And then came Covid-19.
Lowest shortlisted bid in Saudi 1.47 GW tender was $0.0161/kWh
The shortlisted developers are EDF, Total, ACWA Power, Masdar, First Solar, Marubeni, and Al Blagha Holding.
Golden PV panels for balcony solar systems
German manufacturer a2-solar has supplied 240 solar panels for the renovation of an old building in Bern, Switzerland. The modules, which are being integrated into 96 balconies, feature different transparency options and color variations.
Covid-19 halting European PPA market – Part IV
In a recent chat with pv magazine, Jason Tundermann – vice president of business development at U.S. trading advisory service LevelTen Energy – predicted a better-than-expected scenario for corporate clean-energy PPAs on the Old Continent. He said the net value of long-term PPA offers has not dropped dramatically, offering hope to corporate buyers.
All-in-one device integrating a microinverter and optimizer
The so-called Optiverter is an all-in-one residential solution developed by startup Ubik Solutions and researchers from Estonia’s TalTech Power Electronics Research Group. The developers claim that the new solution can provide 30% more power than traditional microinverters under partially shaded conditions.
No such thing as ‘next-generation’ modules
According to one Dutch scientist, the development of PV technology in recent decades should be seen as an evolutionary process, rather than the constant emergence of new generations of equipment.
Malaysia’s Yinson acquires 37.5% stake in Indian IPP
Yinson will pay Rs 554 million ($7.3 million) for a stake in New Delhi-based Rising Sun Energy, which operates two PV plants in the massive Bhadla Solar Park in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
